ABSTRACT

If one accepts Herbert Simon’s (1948) proposition that a science of administration is fundamentally about decision-making, and if one believes that all decisions have an ethical dimension, then the study of administration necessarily involves an understanding of ethical decision-making. Using a different tact, the well-being of organizations, their members, and society are affected by the ethical decisions made by those charged with leading and guiding these organizations. Acknowledging this proposition provides the basis both for the importance of understanding ethical decision-making behavior and for developing management strategies and policies to promote ethically sound decision-making in organizations.